Letter to Professor Crowl

The Letter to Professor Crowl was sent to the Fellowship of the Sun whilst they sojourned at Ascanor Lodge. The letter itself is a two year old message from Professor Petros Lorrimor to Professor Crowl and details how the Whispering Way could be attempting to free the Whispering Tyrant.

The Letter

Professor Crowl,
I believe that your theories may be correct with regards to the spiritual energies present within the sites you mentioned. All three form a geographic line that links straight to the natural borders of the water, suggesting that the ancient Kellids chose these sites more for their sites energies rather than any geographic significance. Of the three, Feldgrau is probably the most famous within Ustalav since every soldier’s widow knows the tales of that cursed place. Whether the bloodshed that transpired there is a result of these spiritual energies or something else is a mystery that would require a dangerous investigation. Nonetheless, the reputed small size of the Kellid ruins mark it as possibly the least significant of the three. Clearly, the opposite is true with Carrion Hill, as our studies have detailed extensive Kellid burial mounds, monoliths, and even catacombs beneath the city itself. The ley energies are very strong here, possibly a focal point for whatever is diverting their energy to the west. As for Illmarsh, a preliminary investigation from one of our men has resulted in a lack of correspondence. That place has always been insular and little is known of it; as soon as contact is re-established, our findings will be made clear.
As you have stated, the geocentric ley energies connecting those places definitely form a spiritual border, and based on your earlier records of the Shining Crusade, it is possible that the Knights of Ozrem chose Gallowspire because of its geocentric location with regards to these ley lines, not because of its strategic location. Afterall, why imprison the Tyrant so close to so many of his uncontested strongholds and allies? It is possible that whatever magics were used in imprisoning the Whispering Tyrant are augmented by these ley energies to increase the strength of the prison, giving it enough power to keep him and his thoughts contained. If this is the case, it would clearly be in the best interest of the Whispering Way to disrupt or redirect the spiritual energies of these places, though the semi-permanent nature of the structures at these sights would make achieving this difficult. To disrupt the spiritual energy enough that a ley line would be redirected or disrupted, the Way would have to achieve one of the following:

• Catastrophic-scale destruction of landscape itself, an act that would be noticed for miles around (War Without Rivals, the Furrows?).
• Repeated use of reality altering magic.
• Long term presence of a reality altering outsider. (See Manifestations of the Divine, Volume 1)
• Short term presence (no less than 4 days and 4 hours) of a manifestation of an Outer God or Great Old One (See Catalogue of the Void, Volume 3).

The consequences of such actions performed at these three place sites would be unpredictable at best, but it is possible to hypothesize a couple of results, as they would pertain to the goals of The Whispering Way:

• Disruption of Ley lines resulting in weakening of wards at Gallowspire. This would be the worst case scenario, but if this is all it took, the Whispering Way probably would have already tried it.
• Weakening or rerouting of ley lines, allowing the mind of the Tyrant to wander further from his sight. It’s been reported by our few men that have crossed Virlych that manifestations of the Tyrant’s mind appear in their dreams as horrific nightmares and in the waking hours as phantoms. As stated, it’s entirely possible that Gallowspire contains The Tyrant not just bodily but also mentally, with these ley lines augmenting his spiritual prison.
• Warping or expanding the field of the "Witchgates" that guard the Hungry Mountains. Since these wards utilize miles-wide magical energies, it can only be assumed that some of the ley lines present within the region are connected to them. Disrupting the regional ley energies could theoretically allow them to expand the range of these wards, or perhaps allow them to construct new ones.

In any case, any of these events could potentially cause unknown peril. I recommend the further consultation of a professional Geomancer with regards to the energies of these sights as my limited insight and second-hand observation could use the full knowledge available to the Order.
Khu Ba Heteph,
Professor Petros Lorrimor
Lamashan the 19th, 4709 AR

Analysis

The Fellowship has been making significant connections to details listed in this letter with what they have been seeing on their journey, as well as the effects of the Whispering Way's attempts to redirect or disrupt ley lines:

Analysis 1

I believe that your theories may be correct with regards to the spiritual energies present within the sites you mentioned. All three form a geographic line that links straight to the natural borders of the water, suggesting that the ancient Kellids chose these sites more for their sites energies rather than any geographic significance.

The three sites create a feature that the Fellowship unofficially calls the "Whispering Triangle with the lines following such waterways as Nicklecross and Detstach Rivers to Avalon Bay; the Droa, Carabosse, and Mesmos Rivers; and the Orphield, Semir, and Kingfisher Rivers.

Analysis 2

Of the three, Feldgrau is probably the most famous within Ustalav since every soldier’s widow knows the tales of that cursed place. Whether the bloodshed that transpired there is a result of these spiritual energies or something else is a mystery that would require a dangerous investigation. Nonetheless, the reputed small size of the Kellid ruins mark it as possibly the least significant of the three.

Despite there be very little ley line activity in this area, Feldgrau has already contributed to the Whispering Way's cause by providing the material to make the Skull of Splintered Graves as well as the desolation of the Furrows.

Analysis 3

Clearly, the opposite is true with Carrion Hill, as our studies have detailed extensive Kellid burial mounds, monoliths, and even catacombs beneath the city itself. The ley energies are very strong here, possibly a focal point for whatever is diverting their energy to the west.

The Fellowship has witnessed firsthand the ruins that lay below Carrion Hill and how the focal point of ley lines contributed to the Keepers of the Oldest summoning of the Spawn of Yog-Sothoth.

Analysis 4

As for Illmarsh, a preliminary investigation from one of our men has resulted in a lack of correspondence. That place has always been insular and little is known of it; as soon as contact is re-established, our findings will be made clear.

Little is currently known about Illmarsh save of its entanglement of ley lines, suspected activity of the Old Cults, and its apparently importance as some sort of holy site.

Disruption 1

Catastrophic-scale destruction of landscape itself, an act that would be noticed for miles around (War Without Rivals, the Furrows?).

The Fellowship has observed firsthand the vast wasteland known as the Furrows. Nothing thrives here save the specters and undead that inhabit the blasted landscape. It was also in this area where they confronted and defeated Auren Vrood. The ley lines in this area are expected to be already affected.

Disruption 2

Repeated use of reality altering magic.

While traveling through Versex, the Fellowship has visited several locations where reality has shown warped and shifting appearances. Here tears in space have opened up into other planes from which red mist and strange creatures emerged. The Dreamlands is one location in particular that has demonstrated a thinner barrier between there and Golarian.

Disruption 3

Long term presence of a reality altering outsider.

It is currently believed that the creature known as the Watcher in the Bay, which resides in Avalon Bay in Illmarsh, is a manifestation of the Outer God known as Shub-Niggurath. The creature itself is ancient and powerful and its long ongoing residency in this area would achieve this requirement.

Disruption 4

Short term presence (no less than 4 days and 4 hours) of a manifestation of an Outer God or Great Old One.

Recently an old cult calling itself the Keepers of the Oldest summoned a creature known as the Spawn of Yog-Sothoth in Carrion Hill. The Fellowship imprisoned it within the Star Moit before it was able to manifest long enough to fulfill this requirement.

Other Consequences

The consequences of such actions performed at these three place sites would be unpredictable at best, but it is possible to hypothesize a couple of results, as they would pertain to the goals of The Whispering Way.

In addition to Professor Lorrimor's hypothetical possibilities, the Fellowship has already seen further consequences of the destabilization of the ley lines. These include the outbreak of a disease in Versex known as the Phage, storms of red lightning, and the thinning between realms which has allowed creatures from the Dreamlands to escape directly into the Material Plane.

Note 1

In any case, any of these events could potentially cause unknown peril. I recommend the further consultation of a professional Geomancer with regards to the energies of these sights as my limited insight and second-hand observation could use the full knowledge available to the Order.

Neferu spoke with Vaggan Roe, the Sage of Ardis while in that city to gain more information about geomancing. An act that ultimately led to her presumed death.

Note 2

Khu Ba Heteph

This is Ancient Osirian for "Seek and you shall find" and is also a motto of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye, further evidence that Professors Lorrimor and Cowls were part of that mysterious organization.

Item type

Book / Document

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